Teaching American Literature: A Journal of Theory and Practice also has an article on presenting the canon as a mutable entity. It is called, “Teaching the Early American Literature Survey: Expanding the Canon Using Internet Resources.”
I found this reading interesting for several reasons.
- I am presenting on the canonicity of a particular work in Old English at Kalamazoo.
- I ask my students to argue for or against including a particular piece in my survey course the next time it is taught.
- I actually heard this paper presented at a conference. And I thought it was very interesting then.
I thoroughly recommend the adoption of the “Digital Document Assignment” if you are working in American literature. I was delighted to find this idea and I think I will adopt it, if I ever teach American literature for more than a week.